April Fools

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It was a joke people. It was supposed to provide a laugh not policy.

When Marvel first assigned me to the X-Men, the deal was for one year. I'd come east dreaming of Spider-Man and Conan but, realized that this was my chance to sink, or swim, immediately and forever. Nail this and I'm set.

Towards the end of my X-Run, Weezie (editor Louise Jones), and hubby, Walt Simonson, go on vacation. They leave daughter Julie behind (there's a movie in there somewhere). Upon departure, Walt sported the hirsute look we've all come to know and love. Upon his return, not so much. Somewhere in-between he'd undergone a tonsorial transformation of titanic proportion. He was now pink faced! Beard and mustache… gone.

Daughter Julie is not amused. She runs from the room. That's not Daddy, that's one of the pod-people!

Chris thinks this is story gold. He puts Storm through her paces. She loses her powers. She loses her nerve. She gets blowed up. Her powers attack her. But that ain't the worst of it. She loses huge chunks of her beautiful hair! Storm needs a stylist.

I do a number of different styles and AS A JOKE, I include a Mr T mohawk for laughs and giggles. Chris and Weezie fail to laugh and latch on to it immediately (d'oh!) I argue as best I can but, my run is essentially over. My vote doesn't count. Weezie says (and this is pretty much a quote) "We're going to get hung no matter what we do. We may as well commit the murder."

Stuck with the mohawk, I do my best to make it work. Once the style is set, I determine she needs leathers to pull it off. Punk Storm is born.

Storm shows up at Logan's wedding and Kitty pulls a Julie, exhibiting the reaction of much of Marvel fandom (and myself.) The closest thing to good news is: My run is over and J.R. gets the grief! Sorry about that, John. Really, I am. It was a joke and you got the pie to the face. : (

Oh, and as long as we're not talking about it, Chrissie Hynde is NOT the model for Callisto!!! But, that's a story for another day.